Mercedes-Benz 300SL: Racing Cars 1952-1953 (Ludvigsen Library)

In 1952, Mercedes-Benz astonished the world with its 300SL sports-racing cars, sleek coupes with startling, gull-wing doors. Based on the 300S production model but installed in a radical, tubular space frame, the 300SL was a tour de force of lightweight aerodynamic design. The later production 300SL has been well chronicled, the 1952 racing model has not, until now.

This book portrays the amazing achievements of these tough cars and their epic victories at Le Mans and in the Carrera Panamericana. Extensive, unpublished photography superbly and intimately captured by Rodolfo Mailander show the 300SL at the Mille Miglia, Berne, Nurburgring and Le Mans. Rare Daimler-Benz archive photos also show the prototype, designed and built for the 1953 season and never raced.

Every fan of racing and Mercedes-Benz will relish the pictorial revelations of this book.